Nonda plum, Solomon Islands parinari
Parinari nonda

Family: Chrysobalanaceae

What it is like

A small tree up to 10-15 m tall. It is often only 3 m tall but can be 34 m tall. It has an open growth habit. The bark is greyish-brown and cracked along its length. The small branches are angular, drooping and hairy. The leaves are narrow, oval and leathery. They are 3.5-8 cm long by 2-4.5 cm wide. They are dark green and smooth on the upper surface and paler with dense white hairs underneath. Under the leaf the midrib is prominent and the veins are like a net. The tip of the leaf has a blunt point. The leaf stalk is short. Flowers are brownish yellow and very small. They occur at the ends of branches and in the axils of upper leaves. The fruit is smallish (2 cm x 3 cm) and brownish. It hangs on the ends of the branches. The fruit has a slightly rough skin due to a brown scaly like layer. The fruit is edible. Inside the fruit is a rough kernel.

There are about 50 Parinari species. They grow in the tropics.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. The tree grows in lowland areas from 6 to 1300 m altitude in Papua New Guinea. It occurs in moist rainforest and open woodland. It is often in dunes behind sandy beaches. It occurs in northern Australia. It suits seaside dry tropical regions. It can tolerate drought. It needs full sun.

Countries/locations it is found in

Australia (country/location of origin), Pacific, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Torres Strait

How it is used for food

The ripe fruit is eaten raw. The floury pulp of the fruit can be ground into flour and baked.

A minor edible wild fruit. The "nut-milk" was especially used for babies.

Edible parts

Fruit, kernel, nuts

How it is grown

The tree grows wild. They can be grown from fresh seed. It can probably be grown from cuttings of semi ripe wood.

it is slow growing. Fruit occur in August and November (May). Fruit are bitter when fresh from the tree so are best ripened off the tree to make them more sweet. Burying them for a week has been used to improve ripening. They can be harvested after they fall. To make nut-milk the fruit was dried and the kernels crushed and the mash was washed, squeezed and strained to extract the white "nut-milk".

Its other names

Local names

Nunda, Parinari, Weiba

Synonyms

Ferolia nonda (F. Muell. ex Benth.) Kuntze; Parinarium nonda F. Muell.; Parinari papuanum CT White; - now a recognised species.